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Dynamic complementarity in skill production: Evidence from genetic endowments and birth order

Author

Listed:
  • Dilnoza Muslimova

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Hans van Kippersluis

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Cornelius A. Rietveld

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Stephanie von Hinke

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • S. Fleur W. Meddens

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

Abstract

The birth order literature emphasizes the role of parental investments in explaining why firstborns have higher human capital outcomes than their laterborn siblings. We use birth order as a proxy for investments and interact it with genetic endowments. Exploiting only within-family variation in both ensures they are exogenous as well as orthogonal to each other. As such, our setting is informative about the existence of dynamic complementarity in skill production. Our empirical analysis exploits data from 15,019 full siblings in the UK Biobank. We adopt a family-fixed effects strategy combined with instrumental variables to deal with endogeneity issues arising from omitted variables and measurement error. We find that birth order and genetic endowments interact: those with above-average genetic endowments benefit disproportionally more from being firstborn compared to those with below-average genetic endowments. This finding is a clean example of how genetic endowments ('nature’) and the environment ('nurture’) interact in producing educational attainment. Moreover, our results are consistent with the existence of dynamic complementarity in skill formation: additional parental investments associated with being firstborn are more ‘effective’ for those siblings who randomly inherited higher genetic endowments for educational attainment.

Suggested Citation

  • Dilnoza Muslimova & Hans van Kippersluis & Cornelius A. Rietveld & Stephanie von Hinke & S. Fleur W. Meddens, 2020. "Dynamic complementarity in skill production: Evidence from genetic endowments and birth order," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 20-082/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20200082
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Baker, Samuel & Biroli, Pietro & van Kippersluis, Hans & von Hinke, Stephanie, 2022. "Beyond Barker: Infant Mortality at Birth and Ischaemic Heart Disease in Older Age," IZA Discussion Papers 15291, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Pietro Biroli & Titus J. Galama & Stephanie von Hinke & Hans van Kippersluis & Cornelius A. Rietveld & Kevin Thom, 2022. "The Economics and Econometrics of Gene-Environment Interplay," Papers 2203.00729, arXiv.org.
    3. von Hinke, Stephanie & Sørensen, Emil N., 2023. "The long-term effects of early-life pollution exposure: Evidence from the London smog," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    4. Rita Dias Pereira & Pietro Biroli & Titus Galama & Stephanie von Hinke & Hans van Kippersluis & Cornelius A. Rietveld & Kevin Thom, 2022. "Gene-Environment Interplay in the Social Sciences," Papers 2203.02198, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2022.
    5. Paul Minard, 2022. "Molecular genetics and mid-career economic mobility," Papers 2209.00057, arXiv.org.
    6. Gerard J. van den Berg & Stephanie von Hinke & Nicolai Vitt, 2023. "Early life exposure to measles and later-life outcomes: Evidence from the introduction of a vaccine," Papers 2301.10558, arXiv.org.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Birth order; dynamic complementarity; gene-environment interaction; educational attainment; polygenic score;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D15 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Intertemporal Household Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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